U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson today announced the 16 companies that will join him on a business development mission to India, his first as Commerce Secretary. During the mission, Secretary Bryson will meet with senior-level Indian government officials to advocate for U.S. export opportunities in India’s rapidly expanding infrastructure sector, and promote investment opportunities in America – both key priorities of the Obama Administration. The mission will take place March 25-30 with stops in New Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai.

The trade mission supports President Obama’s National Export Initiative goal of doubling U.S. exports by the end of 2014 to create more good-paying jobs. Last week, on the two year anniversary of the creation of the NEI, the Commerce Department released new data showing that jobs supported by U.S. exports increased by 1.2 million between 2009 and 2011, and the value of U.S. exports exceed $2.1 trillion for the first time in U.S. history. The mission also supports efforts to increase investment in the United States through SelectUSA, America’s first national investment advocacy program. In addition, the mission will promote a new national tourism strategy focused on creating American jobs by becoming even more welcoming to visitors from around the world.

“This mission builds on President Obama’s historic visit to India two years ago, when he said before the Indian Parliament that the U.S.-India relationship will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century. I couldn’t agree more,” said Bryson. “I am looking forward to connecting American business leaders to new opportunities in India’s rising infrastructure sector, and encouraging Indian businesses and individuals to invest in and visit the United States. India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and its large market presents an important opportunity for U.S. companies to sell their goods and services to some of the 95% of consumers who live beyond our borders and boost job creation at home.” Full release

Guest blog post by Francisco
J. Sánchez, Under Secretary for International Trade, International Trade Administration

There
are amazing opportunities available to U.S. businesses in India.

That’s
one of the main takeaways of my successful week-long trade mission focusing on Indian
port infrastructure. Case in point: the two-way trade
between India and the U.S. grew to $58 billion in 2011, and this upward trend
is expected to continue in 2012.

The ports trade
mission that we just concluded today–a first of its kind in India–was
especially successful. Representatives from 12 U.S. organizations joined me on
the trip, where we visited three different cities to facilitate as many
partnerships as possible. The trade
mission participants included dredging companies, port security companies,
scanning technology providers, infrastructure, and transportation and logistics
companies. With them the Ports of Baltimore and San Diego also joined to
partner with companies and ports in India.

Guest blog post by Francisco J. Sánchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Secretary, Department of Commerce

India has a bright future in solar energy.

Its renewable energy market is currently valued at $17 billion dollars, and is growing at an annual rate of 15 percent. And remarkably, there is potential for even bigger things.

According to one estimate, to keep economic growth at current levels, India will need to add 150 gigawatts of capacity over the next five years. Clearly, there is both a market and a need for clean energy in India. And, U.S. companies have the technology and products to meet these needs and help spur economic development.

It’s a natural partnership.

That’s why, yesterday, during my keynote speech at SOLARCON India 2011, I urged all parties to consider new partnerships with each other so that we can build a clean future together.

Hosted in the city of Hyderabad, the trade event brought together a wide-range of business leaders, academics and government officials to exchange ideas about the clean energy sector. Although estimates about the attendance are unavailable at this time, just last year, it drew over 4,000 people from over 30 countries.

This year, there was incredible energy and excitement in the air. For U.S. firms, India’s solar market represents a huge opportunity to get involved in a booming sector in a growing market, resulting in thousands, if not millions, of jobs for people in both countries.

Guest blog post by Francisco J. Sánchez, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Secretary, Department of Commerce

Recent
events have reaffirmed just how extraordinary this period is for the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA). The Arab
Spring has generated a lot of hope for people across the region. However, it’s also presented a number of
questions that need to be answered, many of which center around economic issues
like unemployment and slow growth.

As
the World Economic Forum (WEF) put it, “Recent shifts in the Arab world, coupled with an economic
contraction at the global level, have created renewed urgency for
decision-makers across the region to address the unfolding economic situation.”

So,
it’s fitting that, this past weekend, King Abdullah of Jordan hosted a WEF event
to address job creation. World leaders gathered
to discuss pressing issues including the advancement of youth and women, the
impact of social media, and, of course, U.S.-Arab relations.

Guest blog post by Francisco Sánchez, Under Secretary for International Trade, International Trade Administration

“A journey of a
thousand miles begins with one single step.”

That’s a proverb
I learned during my recent trip to China, where I led a delegation of 19 U.S.
biotech companies on a trade mission. Today marked the end of our journey.
But, I’m confident that the steps we took will help these firms generate new
opportunities in the region.

As I get ready
to depart, I’m struck by the huge possibilities in the country. China’s biotech
sector is growing roughly 25 percent a year. Its market is huge in terms of sales and clinical trial
opportunities, as well as potential investment. And, China’s enormous consumer
base and impressive economic growth further reinforce the importance of the
market for U.S. firms.

Guest blog post by Suresh Kumar, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Promotion and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service

When people think of Canada they
often think of hockey, moose, and cold weather, not aircraft. In fact,
Canada's aerospace industry
is the fifth largest in the world ($22.2 billion in revenues in 2009) and the
United States is
Canada's largest supplier of aircraft
parts and components. Bombardier Aerospace, a Canadian manufacturer of
commercial aircraft and business jets, has grown to be one of the top four
aircraft manufacturers in the world, behind Boeing, Airbus, and
Brazil’s Embraer.
Canada’s geographic
proximity, open market economy and stable business climate make it an attractive
market for U.S. aerospace
companies.

To help U.S. companies take advantage of these export
opportunities, I’m in Canada leading 21 companies on a
three-day U.S. Aerospace Supplier and Investment Mission. On the mission, we
announced commercial signings worth $1.34 billion in U.S. contracts with Canadian aerospace firms, a
figure representing over $800 million in U.S. export
content.

These
newly signed commercial deals are a crucial part of our effort to strengthen the
economy and will make an important contribution to manufacturing and job growth
across the United
States.

Locke’s first stop on his visit was Hindustan Aeronautics
Ltd.’s (HAL) facilities. HAL is one of Asia’s largest aerospace companies,
employing approximately 34,000 people with roughly $2 billion in annual
revenue. The company has partnered with leading U.S. aerospace manufacturers –
Boeing, Honeywell, and Lockheed Martin – on several projects. The U.S export
content value for HAL is $40 to $50 million dollars annually with hundreds of
millions in future export opportunities.

Today, Secretary Locke kicked off a high-technology trade mission in New Delhi
to promote exports of leading U.S. technologies and services related to civil
nuclear energy, civil aviation, defense and homeland security, and information
and communications technology. The mission will continue through February 11,
and also make stops in Bangalore and Mumbai.

His first stop was at a neighborhood grocery store in New Delhi that is using
technology developed by a U.S. company to market its products, manage its
customers and organize its business operations. Intuit, based in Mountain View,
Calif., created “GoConnect,” a new innovative mobile and web-based marketing
service that is helping Indian micro and small businesses grow and improve the
way they communicate with their customers. Intuit’s new application was first
announced during the President Obama’s visit to India.

"Intuit's GoConnect
technology is a prime example of the kind of mutually beneficial trade that
creates jobs in both countries, creating opportunities from the Intuit offices
in Northern California to a neighborhood grocery store in the streets of
New Delhi," said Secretary Locke. "We look forward to finding more
commercial opportunities like these during this trade mission."

GoConnect was developed in both
India and the U.S. The data is hosted in Intuit's data center in Quincy,
Washington.

When President Barack Obama spoke before the Indian Parliament last November, he said: "The relationship between the United States and India - bound by our shared interests and values - will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century."

During the president's visit, there was action backing up those words,
including $10 billion in job-creating deals between American and Indian
businesses and the Indian government; President Obama expressing support
for India gaining a permanent seat on the UN Security Council; and an
announcement of significant reforms to US export control policies -
opening the door for increased high-technology trade and cooperation
between India and the US.

This week, I am travelling to New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore
to help 24 US companies walk through that door. These companies - more
than half of which are small- and medium-sized businesses - are leaders
in the civil nuclear,
defence and security, civil aviation, and information and
communications technology sectors. They are eager to find Indian
business partners and to help India continue its remarkable
transformation.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke met today with India’s Ambassador to the
United States, Meera Shankar, to discuss bilateral trade and investment issues.

The
meeting took place as Secretary Locke prepares to lead a high technology
business development trade mission to India on February 6-11. Over 70 companies
applied to participate in the upcoming mission, which will make stops in New
Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, in order to promote U.S. exports of high
technology products and services in key economic sectors: civil-nuclear trade,
defense and security, civil aviation, and information and communications
technology.